As time goes on and the genre of novels matures and evolves, so too does reader expectation. For example, if you look at J. R. R. Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, you will probably note that the action sequences and battles scenes are often paragraphs or pages long. In books such as SIX OF …

One of the biggest draws to stories—of any medium—are characters. So many of us want to follow the journeys of individual characters whose personalities or situations we find compelling. The biggest disappointment I often have at the end of a book, television show, or movie is a lack of character growth or change at the …

Backstory is the foundation of everything your character says and does. We all know that events from our past, even right back to our childhood, have shaped who we are today and affect the way we react to situations. I’ve always been tenacious, right back to the age of four. One donkey ride and I …

Rarely do story ideas “pop” into the imagination because of every day life events. More often than not story ideas grow out of intensely dramatic circumstances. The writer either experiences or observes an emotional series of events that are memorable and life-changing. When personally relevant value systems are challenged or threatened or a way of …